Cleaning/Sterilizing an EBay razor

[Rufus]

Junkets, according to the Public Health authorities in Canada, Barbicide is not acceptable for a razor used by a barber/hairdresser. Inter alia, they require that the razor be soaked in 70%-90% isopropyl alcohol for 30 minutes follwing cleaning and allowed to air dry. See:

www.wdghu.org/_wellnet/Manuals/HealthProt

 

[fritz]

Junkets, according to the Public Health authorities in Canada, Barbicide is not acceptable for a razor used by a barber/hairdresser. Inter alia, they require that the razor be soaked in 70%-90% isopropyl alcohol for 30 minutes follwing cleaning and allowed to air dry. See:

www.wdghu.org/_wellnet/Manuals/HealthProt

But of course, in your own home you can use Barbicide, or alcohol, or both, or nothing, as you see fit. I'm not ready to believe that alcohol will kill HVB and HVC. The ingredients in Barbicide will.

 

[Nick75]

For anyone cleaning/sterlising ebay razors, I found a nice, straightforward article on an Australian health advice website that is well worth reading:

http://www.nt.gov.au/health/healthd...islation/hair2ah.shtml#Disinfecting equipment

Basically, from what I gather from this article, the following procedures with regard to sanitizing safety razors could be applicable in our case:

1. WASHING in cold water with soap or a suitable detergent
2. DRYING with a clean cloth
3. DISINFECTION (maybe boil first, then soak in disinfectant?)

To expand on point 3, it mentions 70% Isopropyl alcohol as being a suitable disinfectant for non-penetrative instruments, i.e. razors themselves that only hold blades (i.e. the blade being the skin penetrating item in our case).

It states that autoclaves are used for penetrative instruments such as needles etc., and also advises that pressure cookers are NOT a suitable means of sterilising and should not be used.

Naturally, when we buy our blades they are already sterilised, so surely paragraph 2.1 & 2.2. in the article dealing with the cleaning and disinfecting of equipment is what we should be referring to when cleaning up safety razors themselves? The procedures for sterilising are only apparently necessary for items that actually penetrate the skin, or have the possibility of doing so.

However, with the razor, the blade, and the possible nick/cut in the person's skin all being in such close proximity to each other whilst a person is shaving, is sterilising and not just disinfecting the razor itself maybe an idea after all??

I think that point is where a lot of the confusion about sanitzing old razors seems to lie?

 

[fritz]

<snip>
To expand on point 3, it mentions 70% Isopropyl alcohol as being a suitable disinfectant for non-penetrative instruments, i.e. razors themselves that only hold blades (i.e. the blade being the skin penetrating item in our case).
<snip>
However, with the razor, the blade, and the possible nick/cut in the person's skin all being in such close proximity to each other whilst a person is shaving, is sterilising and not just disinfecting the razor itself maybe an idea after all??

And there you have your answer. For instance, a lot of modern scalpels are just a holder for snap-on disposable blades. After use, the blade is disposed of, but the scalpel handles are autoclaved, not just soaked in alcohol!

While I prefer that the instruments used to perform surgery on ME be autoclaved, I think from what I've read that Barbicide and similar solutions of the same active ingredients are sufficient for a razor. HIV, HVB, HVC, and staph are the main worries for a razor, and none of them will survive Barbicide.

 

[WithTheGrain]

Ok, so after 7 pages without a single definative answer, can someone answer this. If I use CLR to degunk the razor, then boil, then barbarcide overnight and then use mineral oil, can I assume this is a relatively clean razor that is sterille but not pink?

 

[fritz]

Ok, so after 7 pages without a single definative answer, can someone answer this. If I use CLR to degunk the razor, then boil, then barbarcide overnight and then use mineral oil, can I assume this is a relatively clean razor that is sterile but not pink?

YES (for sufficiently liberal definitions of "sterile").
But. I think that's way overkill. And it still may not look nice.

You don't need to boil for sanitizing, but might want to after the CLR for cleaning gunk from hollow handles. (But don't boil gold plated razors or razors with plastic parts.)
Also after the CLR (and maybe boiling) you may need some work with a soft toothbrush and washing-up liquid soap. Then, you might need some polish like Maas or Flitz on nickel plated or chrome plated razors, but NOT on gold plated razors.
Then use the Barbicide (or Mar-V-cide), an hour is more than plenty.
You only need a little mineral oil, and soaking is also overkill, just apply some drops in the places that need lubrication (down the hollow handle of TTOs, adjustment knobs, silo door hinges). A drop or two on the threads where the top plate screws into the handle, anyplace that metal turns against metal.

Gold plated razors have a lacquer coating, which may be good still. If it's flaking off or heavily discolored (orange) you may need/want to remove it completely with nail polish remover, and then very lightly polish the gold plate with a jewelers' rouge cloth. Then, it's OK for display, but for shaving use you need to restore the clear protective coating, which is best done by a jeweler, or someone skilled in this. Sometimes, people who deal in brass furnishings (lamps, etc.) can do the protective coating also.

 

[WithTheGrain]

Yes. But. I think that's way overkill. If you use the Barbicide, an hour is more than plenty. You also don't need to boil. You only need mineral oil on TTO or adjustable razors, and soaking is also overkill, just apply some in the places that need lubrication. After the CLR, you might need some polish like Maas or Flitz on nickel plated or chrome plated razors, but NOT on gold plated razors. Gold plated razors have a lacquer coating, which may be good still. If it's flaking off or heavily discolored (orange) you may need to remove it completely with nail polish remover, and then very lightly polish the gold plate with a jewelers' rouge cloth. Then, OK for display, but for shaving use you need to restore the clear protective coating, which is best done by a jeweler.

Thanks for the response. Based on your advice, I think I am going to Barbicide (if I can find some), CLR, and mineral oil it. Then polish it as necessary. It is nickel, so I hope that is all it will take. Mine was a later slim (1973) and its dirty, but all the parts move. Hopefully it won't take too much work.

 

[Drano]

Since Barbicide, Hydrocide and Mar-V-cide are mentioned as disinfectant options in this thread, here is some info I got from Hydrocide.

I got a bottle of Hydrocide before I carefully read the label to see what it kills. So I emailed the company and asked if it kills hepatitis B or C, and herpes type 1 or 2. Here was the response:

“Hydrox has performed testing to make sure Hydrocide is effective against the organisms stated on the label. Hydrox cannot make claims against other organisms without testing to support such claims. At this time that is all Hydrox can guarantee.”

The Hydrocide label says it is effective on HIV-1, pseudomonas aeruginosa, salmonella cholerausuis, staphylococcus aureus.

Since the ingredient list is very similar on all 3 products, they all may be effective on bad critters, but if I had to do it over again, I’d most likely grab the Mar-V-cide bottle.

Here are the 3 companies web pages:
http://www.hydroxlabs.com/products.htm
http://wmmarvyco.com/fr_sanitizing.htm
http://www.king-research.com/productdetail.asp?ID=51762

 

[Magnulus]

Just my 2 cents but don't polish nickle, at least not heavily. Just wipe it with a soft toothbrush or cloth. You can remove mineral deposits with scrubbing bubbles. Old razors tend to have thinner coatings and nickle is highly polishable, but the outer layer of tarnish is actually protective and many collectors will consider it a patina and not actually remove much, if any of it. I have polished an old Superspeed up a bit too much and it wore through to brass, fortunately I restored it with a home electro-plating kit that I bought to touch up razors (I plan to buy up lots of old razors, fix them up and sell them to fund my addiction to shaving gear ).

 

[atskuv]

I have a product called " PDI Super Sani-Cloth " germicidal disposable wipes.NICE-PAK PDI SUPER SANI-CLOTH LINK

Do you think that it is overkill?It is also posted on school kids healthcare so it would seem safe.Definitely not for use on gold tone razors with the high alcohol content though!!!

Highly effective in high-risk situations

Features:

For use in hospitals and other critical care areas where control of the hazards of cross-contamination is of prime importance Use on surfaces and equipment such as stainless steel, formica, glass, carts, baskets, counters, cabinets and other hard non-porous surfaces Ready to use, requires no mixing or measuring Eliminates the hazards of airborne sprays.

Super Sani-Cloth® kills bacteria and viruses including:

TB (Mycobacterium bovis) • Hepatitis B (HBV) • Hepatitis C (HCV) • HIV-1 Herpes Simplex Type 2 • Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) • Influenza A2/Hong Kong Escherichia coli (E. coli) • Pseudomonas aeruginosa • Salmonella cholerasuis Staphylococcus aureus • Klebsiella pneumoniae • Vaccinia Virus Candida Albicans • Rhinovirus • Adenovirus Type 5

High Alcohol Formula (55%)

• Bactericidal, tuberculocidal, and virucidal
• Tested effective against 17 microorganisms* including TB, HBV and HCV
• Contact time is 5 minutes or less*

If anyone else thinks this is something they would like to use and it would make them feel better about using their used razor and wants one or two PM me so we can work something out.

 

[mulepackin]

I just perused nearly all 120 posts in this thread as well as others on cleaning and restoration, and noted the great concern about disinfecting and sterilizing these razors. Interestingly the use of Scrubbing Bubbles to clean and remove mineral deposits is widely accepted practice, but no mention made of the fact that, at least according to the can, Scrubbing Bubbles kills 99.9% of "common bacteria". Now granted it doesn't say all bacteria, or even touch on viruses (few if any of which survive on surfaces) but I think this is good enough for me.

 

[Christoph]

As for what this original poster did with his DEs, I'd say they're perfect. That's pretty much what I have done too. I would not think twice about shaving with them after what has been done to them. And yes, Scrubbing Bubbles are great. I believe they contain some bleach to disinfect, and they also bring out a nice shine. Use a very soft bristled old tooth brush. Happy shaving!

 

[doc]

I spoke with my doctor yesterday and told him that I was cleaning old used straight razors and that the process I am using is 1. A good wash down in anti bacterial soap followed by a 20 min bath in chlorohexidine solution. then dryed and sprayed with clippercide. He said that this was fine if not a little overkill. He said the same thing a lot of you guy's have said that most of this stuff can't live outside the body for long and the fact that we were paying attention to cleaning and disinfecting our older used blades should be enough to keep us safe.

 

[cvixx]

This topic interested me and I did a search on the internet. Barbicide is evidently considered a mild antibiotic and the only way it should be used on anything which may cut the skin is by first cleaning the instrument thoroughly. I do not think this is a problem for us, more of one for salons which do not clean their clippers and nippers between customers.

Bleach is good in a diluted form but there were warnings that it corrodes metals. Lysol is also good but semi-toxic to us. It almost seemed that mouthwash is as good and is not harmful to humans, which hopefully, most of us are. Therasol was the preferred brand, followed by Scope, with Listerine bringing up the tail end of the list.

Interesting what you can find out there, but the Barbicide bottles are still cooler than a Scope jug.

 

[countryjoe]

Was just reading through this thread and noticed no one mentioned using an ultra sonic cleaner that works for jewelry, watch parts and dentures etc. Haven't tried it yet, but sounds logical.

See ya, Country Joe

 

[northmendo]

Wow what a long tread. I must say I read the entire thing. I must say though that I am a Fire Fighter and in some of my training I have heard that Hep C can live for several months outside the body. Now that said, I think I will use Clipperside, then Barbicide and some lysol for good messure.

Thanks to all

P.S.

All my ebay razors are gold and have not been deliverd yet I will report back with the results.

 

[Bluestaco]

Really is a long thread.

Outside one person's mention of a pressure cooker, I haven't seen any other mention of the idea. I found this: http://www.chaseunion.com/documents/safety/sterile1.htm

I don't know much about it, but I do recall overhearing a conversation about it once upon a time. The owner of a tattoo studio was talking with a colleague about having worked with a university microbiology lab to test pressure cooker sterilization. They determined that he could use a pressure cooker in some way, well exceeding legal standards, if ever his autoclave went down.

I was deeply traumatized by the great pot roast disaster of 1972 and am deathly afraid of pressure cookers, but I might man-up and try it next week when some eBay stuff arrives.

 

[merwtje]

May I conclude that everyone has his own method of cleaning and desinfecting.

But I´m asking myself is there is anyone who had a real problem with his skin due to insufficient cleaning/desinfecting?

 

[puzle]

Just read all the pages in this thread. Seems that autoclave (sp) is the best thing to do. Not sure if I show up at the dentist for an appointment and as if they can do this also if that would work out or not.

I guess the main thing these days is that lots of bad stuff is around and we need to be careful when we bleed. I have two old DE that I took out of the garage that I believe have been in their plastic boxes for the past 30 years.

I think that I will take the 59 Fatboy to the dentist. The other is a 40 Gold rocket and I'm not sure of the Autoclave would kill it.

 

[Moufflon]

Just read all the pages in this thread. Seems that autoclave (sp) is the best thing to do. Not sure if I show up at the dentist for an appointment and as if they can do this also if that would work out or not.

I guess the main thing these days is that lots of bad stuff is around and we need to be careful when we bleed. I have two old DE that I took out of the garage that I believe have been in their plastic boxes for the past 30 years.

I think that I will take the 59 Fatboy to the dentist. The other is a 40 Gold rocket and I'm not sure of the Autoclave would kill it.

Sorry to revive the old thread, but I was curious how the autoclave turned out? I have access to one in my labs and I was wondering what it would do to a razor at the extreme dry heat it gets up to? I want to put a 1912 GEM into it but I don't want to risk it melting or something ridiculuous like that hehe

How did your fatboy find the heat bath?